Beneath The Harvest Sky: Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Casper (Emory Cohen) and Dominic (Callan McAuliffe) have been fiercely loyal friends since childhood. Desperate for a way out of their quiet town on the Maine-Canada border, the boys make a pact to pool their earnings on a car and hit the road. But when Casper is drawn into drug smuggling with his outlaw father (Aidan Gillen) to pay his share, their friendship is pushed to the brink and adult choices forced on them all too soon. A standout narrative debut from Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly (“The Way We Get By”), “Beneath The Harvest Sky” is a gripping coming-of-age thriller set against an authentic portrait of small-town American life.
If you’re a frequent visitor of this site you might realize that I’m an indie film lover. There’s something about finding an awesome film that many people may not know about and recommending it to others that makes me feel good. So you could imagine my excitement when this showed up on my doorstep and I had no idea what this film was about. We have all had friends growing up that you were super close. It honestly reminds me about when I was that age and made plans with friends to go on adventures together. The thing is, just like this film, sometimes things don’t go as planned and people end up following different paths. I think the thing about this film was that it didn’t have any unrealistic aspect to it and it was very much like real life and anyone could literally identify with. Who hasn’t had a falling out with a good friend or ultimately get disappointed when plans don’t go exactly as hoped. Cohen and McAuliffe’s performances were right on the nose and felt so authentic to the point where it almost felt like a documentary. The point of view of the characters could happen to anyone and I’m sure has and because of that it becomes so relatable. At the same time it’s really heartbreaking because you start to see a wedge divide the friends over certain choices in their life. One wants so badly to work and save money to go on a road trip and the other gets caught up in dealing drugs. It’s a horrible situation but it really does make for a compelling film with characters that feel like you may have known them at one point in your life. This is a definite watch and you’ll feel satisfied in knowing that you experienced a great film.
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes – A few scenes here that would’ve possibly slowed the film down if left in.
Terra Chips Presents: Inside The LaJoie Farm – A look at the potato farm that is used in the film.
Terra Chips Presents: Behind The Scenes – A pretty good BTS feature that includes interviews and insight from the cast and crew.
